Archived News:

Andrew "Redigit" Spinks has plans for Terraria 2, the indie developer
tells
Rock, Paper, Shotgun in an interview where he discusses the delicate problem
of when to finally end development of the original Terraria (a point he
erroneously thought he'd already reached in
February). Development of the sequel has not yet begun, as he still is working
on the last few additions to the original game, but the chance at a tabula rasa
(no wait, that was a different game) has him excited. No, make that super
excited:

“I’m super excited about starting Terraria 2,” he said, voice
suddenly ringing with a pointed intensity. “It’s a ways out, but it’s gonna have
a lot in common with the original. It’s gonna be quite different as well. I
really want to expand on the whole Terraria universe.”

“There’s a lot of stuff I’m locked into with Terraria. The way loot works, the
way character progression works. In Terraria 2, I really want to have infinite
worlds so you’re not just stuck to one world. You can travel anywhere. I want
more biome diversity in that, too. There’s a lot of stuff [I want to add and
change].”

Steam now offers early
access to March of War – Episode III: African Sunrise, the next
installment in ISOTX's episodic free-to-play multiplayer strategy game.
This trailer shows off the
new episode, and here's word on this episode and the one that will follow:

Some
of the new units players can look forward to include the Nuclear Suicide Truck
and the Kenyan Rhino Rider which was chosen by the players, through the Vote4War
system. To top this off, a variety of community-driven unit skins are
introduced, as well as hazards in the form of critters, including locust swarms
and and gigantic overlords, which will help keep players moving within the
African savannas on their toes.

Next month will see the release of March of War - Episode IV: Exalted Inferno
which will be available on November 7th, 2013. Future episodes will contain all
previously released episodic content, on all expected devices and will always be
entirely free-to-play.

A new trailer from Call of Duty: Ghosts introduces the squad play being included in the
upcoming military first-person shooter sequel. Here's the deal: "Squads
introduces a whole new level of competition to Call of Duty: Ghosts. Combining
the unrivaled Multiplayer experience with cutting edge AI, Squads lets you play
a variety of new game modes with your customized squad-mates. Play solo against
another player and their squad, or cooperatively with friends, competing versus
an AI-controlled squad. Best of all, the XP earned in Squads is directly
connected to your Multiplayer progress!" Continue here to read the full story.

Steam News announces
that BioShock 2 is now available
on Steam as a bundle with
all its available multiplayer DLC and the single-player Protector Trials pack,
with the shooter sequel collection carrying a 50% discount for the next few
days. They state a new update has removed the reviled Games for Windows LIVE
service from the game, and that previous owners of the game are entitled to a
complimentary Steam key. Here's a
BioShock 2 Steamworks Update FAQ and here's word:

In August, the Games
For Windows LIVE service marketplace closed and some of you wondered what would
happen to BioShock 2 on PC. We remain committed to supporting BioShock 2 on PC
and are excited to announce that starting today the game is available via Steam.
Not only that, but the Steam version of BioShock 2 includes all available
multiplayer downloadable content, as well as the single player “Protector
Trials” DLC!

With the help of our friends at Digital Extremes, BioShock 2 on Steam fully
supports popular features of the platform, including controller compatibility,
Steam achievements, and Big Picture mode. Matchmaking is easier than ever now,
allowing you to search for “any game,” as opposed to having to select your game
mode. Leveling up is also quicker and easier, as we’ve fine-tuned the
multiplayer experience to be better than ever.

If you have already purchased BioShock 2 through a different digital partner,
we’ve got you covered. Simply take the same game activation key you already own
and “activate” it within Steam. Doing this will grant you access to BioShock 2,
all of its multiplayer and Protector Trials DLC, as well as Minerva’s Den – the
single player story-driven add-on that includes new weapons, enemies, and
plasmids!

CD Projekt RED announces a cooperative effort with Dark Horse Comics on an
upcoming project, though they are holding back on most of the details until next
week when they officially unveil it at the New York Comic Con. In the meantime
they offer a teaser video
and say this will be "something truly special for fans of the fantasy genre."
The only other clue in their pre-announcement is this: "There’s a mystery near
the edge of the Black Forest. We'd like to invite you to fear it with us."
Continue here to read the full story.

Beamdog, Atari, and Overhaul Games announce pre-purchases are now underway
for Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition for Windows and OS X, paving the way for the
release of the RPG remake on November 15th, 2013, with the inclusion of Atari in
the announcement providing some reassurance there will not be a repeat of the
contract
issues surrounding the release of the first Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition.
Here's a semi-recent
gameplay trailer, and here's word:

The original Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn, launched in September 2000,
and became the most celebrated Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying video game
of its time. On November 15th, gamers new and old can experience the epic
continuation and conclusion of the Bhaalspawn Saga with full HD resolution
support and area art remastered from the original renders.

Set in the iconic Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms universe from Wizards
of the Coast, Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition includes the adventures Shadows
of Amn and Throne of Bhaal. In addition to the improved graphics and gameplay,
the Enhanced Edition bundles four new allies for your party, each with their own
unique quests. Also bundled in the Enhanced Edition is The Black Pits 2:
Gladiators of Thay, an arena challenge that puts players’ tactical skills to the
ultimate test.

“We are thrilled that our partners at Beamdog have confirmed a date for the
rerelease of what many people consider one of the greatest RPGs ever on PC,
(Baldur’s Gate II),” said Nathan Stewart, Brand Director for D&D at Wizards of
the Coast. “As we continue to expand our world-class storytelling on digital
platforms, it is great to bring this classic to new devices and share the rich
fantasy of D&D with new fans.”

Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition for PC and Mac can be pre-loaded through
either the Beamdog client or an upcoming stand-alone installer. Pre-loading the
game allows players to access Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition immediately
after its release on November 15th, 2013.

DICE creative director Lars Gustavsson confirmed plans for a third game in the
Battlefield: Bad Company series at a recent Battlefield 4 event, reports
Polygon. As he explains, however, this is more of a long-term plan than
anything that will happen any time soon. "I want to see it again. Whether it can
happen [right] now with the newly announced Mirrors Edge 2 and Star Wars:
Battlefront... but we'll see," he explains. "But trust me, the Bad Company
[team] isn't forgotten, they are just on a very long vacation. So they are out
there, they're coming back."

The
2K Games blog offers details on Hangar 6 R&D DLC for The Bureau: XCOM
Declassified that will be released on October 8th as a prequel for the XCOM
prequel (thanks
Eurogamer). Here's a bit:

Delivering a tactical, tense, and rewarding
experience meant cranking up the difficulty. Yes, it's even more difficult than
The Bureau, and equally as rewarding! But don't despair - we gave you lots of
goodies to play with. DaSilva’s got a new series of powers and perks based on
his “plant and trigger” bomb abilities in the level "Signal from Beyond." You
can choose between those and some of Carter's old standbys in your upgrade path.
There's enough experience to level up a couple of agents of every class, so you
can mix and match and see what combo is really your style. Ammo and weapons are
plentiful – including a new AK-47 and a prototype Microwave Gun that cooks
enemies from the inside out. We wanted you to be able to maximize your mastery
of third-person tactical XCOM combat while having the opportunity to try
something new.

Paradox Interactive announces Warlock 2: The Exiled is in development for
release in spring 2014 to provide a sequel to Warlock: Master of the Arcane,
1C:Ino-Co Plus' turn-based strategy game. The news is accompanied by
this announcement trailer
they hype as being "courtesy of a babbling man spouting off stuff about war,"
and more media and details can be found on
the official website. Here's word on the game:

NEW YORK — October 3,
2013 — Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and minion of all-powerful
wizards, today announced the upcoming release of Warlock 2: The Exiled from Ino-Co
Plus, the sequel to turn-based strategy fantasy game Warlock: Master of the
Arcane. Coming to PC in Spring 2014, Warlock 2 will challenge strategic
sorcerers and megalomaniacal mages to conquer Ardania in an all-out war of
cunning, combat, diplomacy, and excessively enormous fireballs. Single-player
and multi-player gameplay will each challenge would-be warlocks to manage an
entire realm full of deadly beasts, promising to make Warlock 2: The Exiled an
exercise in constant war mongering and turn-based tragedy.

Journey back to the realm of Ardania, the land that cannot go an entire week
without being conquered, and conquer it once again! Exiled to a shard from a
shattered world, players of Warlock 2: The Exiled must contend with fellow
exiled mages and a host of terrifying creatures. Wield ancient magic, summon
even more terrifying creatures, wage constant war where every decision is
crucial (warlocks don't do auto-resolving battles), and discover just who
possesses the greatest balls of fire in a turn-based strategy game that offers
no surrender or retreat.

Warlock 2: The Exiled features:

The Never-ending Gory – The battle for
Ardania is constant, merciless, and challenging: your claim to the land will
be tested with battles across the world map where each fight is worthy of
your personal attention; you're not called a WAR-lock for nothing

A post on NeoGAF
shows system specifications for the PC edition of Watch Dogs purportedly
posted by Ubisoft before being removed. The point of interest here is word
that the game will only support 64-bit operating systems, a first for a AAA
game. As stated, such a listing is no longer available, and this is unconfirmed,
but is being widely reported as fact. Supporting this is word on
DSOGaming that the same 64-bit requirement was listed for Assassin’s
Creed IV: Black Flag before those specs were also removed.

ArenaNet announces they are extending the Guild Wars 2 free trial that's
currently underway in the MMORPG sequel through Monday. They are also extending
the sale on the game through then as well. Word is: "The original seven-day free
trial period, which started 27 September, was scheduled to end today. The
extension provides even more opportunity for players to experience the
trendsetting game, which recently was named the fastest-selling MMORPG of all
time in Europe and North America through the first nine months of availability."
You can register for a free trial account
on this page.

Two-person Indie developer Cunning Force Games announces Space Safari, a
Unity-engine adventure platformer for Windows, OS X, and Linux inspired by
classics like Mega Man and Metroid. The
Space Safari website has
information, screenshots, a link to the game's
Steam
Greenlight campaign, as well as
a playable demo for all three
platforms.